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P H V SIC S OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
PSYCHOKINESIS AND THE BRAIN
If psychokinesis does not easily conform to the known forces of the
universe, then how might it be harnessed in the future? One clue to
this was revealed in the Star Trek episode entitled "Who Mourns for
Adonais?" in which the crew of the Enterprise encounters a race of beings resembling Greek gods, with the ability to perform fantastic feats
by simply thinking of them. At first it appears as if the crew has indeed
met the gods from Olympus. Eventually, however, the crew realizes
that these are not gods at all, but ordinary beings who can mentally
control a central power station, which then carries out their wishes
and performs these miraculous feats. By destroying their central
power source, the crew of the Enterprise manages to break free of their
power.
Similarly, it is well within the laws of physics for a person in the future to be trained to mentally manipulate an electronic sensing device
that would give him godlike powers. Radio-enhanced or computerenhanced psychokinesis is a real possibility. For example, the EEG
could be used as a primitive psychokinesis device. When people look at
their own EEG brain patterns on a screen, eventually they learn how to
crudely but consciously control the brain patterns that they see, by a
process called "biofeedback."
Since there is no detailed blueprint of the brain to tell us which
neuron controls which muscle, the patient would need to actively participate in learning how to control these new patterns via the computer.
Eventually, individuals could, on demand, produce certain types of
wave patterns on the screen. The image from the screen could be sent
to a computer programmed to recognize these specific wave patterns,
and then execute a precise command, such as turning on a power
switch or activating a motor. In other words, a person could, by simply
thinking, create a specific brain pattern on the EEG screen and trigger
a computer or motor.
In this way, for example, a totally paralyzed person could control
his or her wheelchair simply by the force of his or her thoughts. Or, if
P H V SIC S OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
PSYCHOKINESIS AND THE BRAIN
If psychokinesis does not easily conform to the known forces of the
universe, then how might it be harnessed in the future? One clue to
this was revealed in the Star Trek episode entitled "Who Mourns for
Adonais?" in which the crew of the Enterprise encounters a race of beings resembling Greek gods, with the ability to perform fantastic feats
by simply thinking of them. At first it appears as if the crew has indeed
met the gods from Olympus. Eventually, however, the crew realizes
that these are not gods at all, but ordinary beings who can mentally
control a central power station, which then carries out their wishes
and performs these miraculous feats. By destroying their central
power source, the crew of the Enterprise manages to break free of their
power.
Similarly, it is well within the laws of physics for a person in the future to be trained to mentally manipulate an electronic sensing device
that would give him godlike powers. Radio-enhanced or computerenhanced psychokinesis is a real possibility. For example, the EEG
could be used as a primitive psychokinesis device. When people look at
their own EEG brain patterns on a screen, eventually they learn how to
crudely but consciously control the brain patterns that they see, by a
process called "biofeedback."
Since there is no detailed blueprint of the brain to tell us which
neuron controls which muscle, the patient would need to actively participate in learning how to control these new patterns via the computer.
Eventually, individuals could, on demand, produce certain types of
wave patterns on the screen. The image from the screen could be sent
to a computer programmed to recognize these specific wave patterns,
and then execute a precise command, such as turning on a power
switch or activating a motor. In other words, a person could, by simply
thinking, create a specific brain pattern on the EEG screen and trigger
a computer or motor.
In this way, for example, a totally paralyzed person could control
his or her wheelchair simply by the force of his or her thoughts. Or, if